The present invention relates to a fuse box and, more particularly, to such a fuse box that is easy to install and that keeps the electric wires positively in the connected position when installed.
FIGS. 9 and 10 show a fuse box according to the prior art. According to this design, the electric wire 77 is inserted into a wire hole 72 of the distribution block 7, and a pointed screw rod 73 is threaded into a screw hole 71 of the distribution block 7 to hold down the core 78 of the electric wire 77. This design has drawbacks. Because the tightening up screw sues its pointed tip to hold down the core of the electric wire, the electric wire tends to be pulled away from the wire distribution block. Further, much driving force must be employed to the tightening up screw during installation, and the core of the electric wire tends to be broken when driving the tightening up screw into the screw hole of the wire distribution block to hold down the core of the electric wire.
FIGS. 11 and 12 show another structure of fuse box according to the prior art. According to this design, the wire distribution block 8 has a tapered wire hole 82 and an inner thread 81 around the orifice of the tapered wire hole 82. A wire clamp 83 is mounted on the core 88 of the electric wire 87 and inserted with the core 88 of the electric wire 87 into the tapered wire hole 82. The wire clamp 83 has longitudinal splits 831. A connector 84 is mounted on the electric wire 87 and fastened to the tapered wire hole 82 to force the wire clamp 83 into engagement with the periphery of the core 88 of the electric wire 87. The connector 84 has one end terminating in a screw tube 841 and threaded into the inner thread 81 of the wire distribution block 8, and an opposite end terminating in a plurality of equiangularly spaced clamping strips 843. The clamping strips 843 have outer threads 842 and inner ribs 844. When threading the screw tube 841 into the inner thread 81 of the wire distribution block 8, the wire clamp 83 is forced by the connector 84 into the inside of the tapered wire hole 82, thereby causing the wire clamp 83 to be radially inwardly forced by the tapered peripheral wall of the tapered wire hole 82 into engagement with the periphery of the core 88 of the electric wire 87. Further, a lock nut 86 is threaded onto the outer threads 842 of the clamping strips 843 of the connector 84, forcing the inner rids 844 of the clamping strips 83 into engagement with the electrically insulative shell of the electric wire 87. This design is complicated. Because many component parts are used, the manufacturing cost of this design of fuse box is expensive. Further, the installation procedure of this design of fuse box is also complicated.
Further, in the aforesaid prior art fuse boxes, metal fuse clamps 76;89 are respectively welded to the wire distribution blocks 7;8, and adapted to receive the terminals 751 ; 851 of fuses 75;85. These metal fuse clamps 76;89 provide less clamping force to the terminals 751; 851 of installed fuses 75;85, and installed fuses 75;85 tend to be forced out of position accidentally. Furthermore, because fuses 75;85 are to be installed in the top cover 74;9 of the fuse box in vertical, much vertical installation space is required.
The present invention has been accomplished to provide a fuse box, which eliminates the aforesaid drawbacks. According to one aspect of the present invention, the fuse box comprises a mount, a plurality of wire distribution blocks respectively fixedly mounted on the mount, the wire distribution blocks including one power input distribution and a plurality of power output distribution blocks, a plurality of metal wire clips respectively mounted in the wire distribution blocks and adapted to secure the core of a respective electric wire, the metal wire clips each comprising two horizontal clamping walls horizontally disposed at different elevations and having a respective serrated portion for engaging the electrically insulative shell of an electric wire, and two vertical support walls bilaterally disposed between the horizontal clamping walls and defining with the horizontal clamping walls a receiving space adapted to receive the core of an electric wire, and a plurality of tightening up screws respectively threaded into a respective screw hole in the wire distribution blocks to force the serrated portions of the metal wire clips into engagement with the electrically insulative shell of the respective electric wires being inserted into the wire distribution blocks. According to another aspect of the present invention, the wire distribution blocks each have at least one oblique insertion slot and a respective metal spring plate mounted in each oblique insertion slot and adapted to receive the terminals of fuses positively.